The main goal of the study was to check the hypothesis that pertussis infection may cause a lung function deterioration in children. Cross sectional study was carried out in 1997 among 992 schoolchildren attending the fourth form of elementary schools in Krakow. In the course of the study the epidemiologic interviews on respiratory health of children and spirometric testing were performed. Spirometric indices (FVC, FEV1 and FEF25-75%) were inversely correlated with allergic diseases, wheezing symptoms and tobacco smoking of mother in pregnancy, however, the effect of the latter variable was of border significance. Socio-economic status of the family and number of infections in lower respiratory tract in children reported over the last year were not related to the lung function level. Children who reported pertussis infection in the past showed significantly lower values of FEV1 and FEF25-75%. The results obtained suggest that pertussis infection may have a detrimental effect on the lung function of preadolescent children. Since these children may be more susceptible to environmental hazards and development of obstructive lung disease, therefore, it is justified to postulate a monitoring of lung function in children after pertussis infection throughout a longer period to detect early lung obstruction and setting up proper prophylactic measures.
P-464 Introduction: The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health is conducting international longitudinal molecular epidemiologic research on the health effects of in utero[r] and postnatal exposures to common urban pollutants. Methods: The Northern Manhattan (NM) Study[r] examines respiratory health, development, and cancer risk in 700 children prenatally exposed to common air pollutants from fuel burning, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), residential pesticides, indoor allergens, lead and mercury. The World Trade Center (WTC) Study in NYC is assessing the effects of air pollutants released by the destruction of the WTC on fetal growth, respiratory health, and cognitive development in 329 newborns whose mothers were pregnant on 9/11/01. The Study in Krakow, Poland assesses the same pollutants (except pesticides) and health outcomes as the NM study, among over 400 children in Krakow, a city with high levels of combustion-generated pollutants from coal burning. The Study in China examines the effects of in utero exposure to air pollutants in Chongqing where a coal burning power plant was located. Two sets of pregnant women and their newborns have been enrolled into the study: the first before the plant was shut down, the second after closure Results: In the NM study, prenatal exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, (PAHs), ETS and pesticides were associated with significantly reduced fetal growth, neurocognitive delay and/or attentional deficits, increased chromosomal aberrations in cord blood, and increased risk of asthma. In the WTC study, babies born to women living within 1–2 miles of the WTC in the weeks after 9/11 had significantly lower birth weight and length than babies born to women living further away. The levels of PAH-DNA adducts, and certain halogenated compounds were also elevated in maternal and/or cord blood among residents living close to the WTC site. The Krakow study and the other two cohorts show genetic damage from PAHs (PAH-DNA adducts) in umbilical cord blood was about 10-fold higher than maternal adducts per estimated unit of exposure, indicating heightened fetal susceptibility. PAHs in prenatal air were linked to decreased fetal growth and asthma symptom, as in the NM study. The Study in China has found adverse effects on fetal and child growth and development related to exposure to power plant emissions and is determining the longer-term health benefits to children of eliminating in utero exposure to these toxic air pollutants. Conclusion: These studies have demonstrated multiple effects of prenatal exposures in different populations and across a gradient of exposure.
A multicenter hospital based case-control study involving 562 incident male gastric cancer caused under the age of 75 years and an equal number of age matched controls has been carried out. The study aimed at examining occupational factors in the development of stomach cancer after accounting for confounding variables such as dietary habits and alcohol consumption. The interviews with case and control series covered detailed questions on frequency of consumption of various dietary items and socio-demographic characteristics. The results of the study showed that manual workers in industry and farmers run the higher risk of stomach cancer compared with non-exposed clerical workers. Some job categories like painters, tanners and millers displayed the highest relative risk (RR: 3.4) and this higher risk could not be explained by differences in dietary habits or alcohol consumption. The results of the study are discussed against background of possible occupational hazards present in particular environmental settings.
An increasing trends of colorectal (CRC) morbidity and mortality across developed countries is observed. Epidemiological studies showed that majority of those cases are due to improper diet. The results on colorectal risk modification by dietary factors in central Europe are scarce. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the role of calcium, phosphorus and polysaccharides intake on colorectal cancer risk in Poland.
Methods
The hospital-based case-control study was carried out in Poland in 2000–2010. In total, 637 histologically confirmed cancer cases and 874 controls were recruited. Information about frequency and quantity of consumption of 148 alimentary items and numerous confounders was gathered by questionnaire.
Results
After adjustment, increase consumption of calcium was associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancer (OR=0.59, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.86). Similar change in risk was observed with increased consumption of phosphorus (OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.75). On the other hand, an increasing risk of CRC with increasing consumption of polysaccharides was observed (in quartiles: ORs: 1.20, 1.39, 1.56, respectively).
Conclusions
The results of the present study support the protective role of high intake of calcium and phosphorus in the aetiology of colorectal cancer. Additionally they suggest that high consumption of polysaccharides may lead to elevated risk of CRC.
The analysis carried out earlier in Cracow showed that the high level of SO2 and particulate matter (PM) alone cannot be responsible for an excess of chronic chest symptoms and faster lung function deterioration in the population at large. To check the hypothesis that acid aerosols present in the urban air may cause substantial damage of the lungs, data from a 13-year follow-up survey of chronic chest diseases in Cracow (1968-1981) have been reanalyzed. In the plan of the analysis, three areas of the city with various levels of sulfate and sulfur transformation ratio (STR) in the urban air have been defined. In each of the defined areas, the prevalence of chronic chest symptoms, as well as lung function decline, have been studied. In total, the lung function study group consisted of 1414 persons (584 males and 830 females). Those men who lived in the area with the higher sulfate and STR had lower FEV1 levels by about 151 mL than did the residents of the other areas, and this was equivalent to the effect of smoking. In females, the pattern was generally the same. In men, the FEV1 decline rate (mL/year) over the 13-year period was significantly faster by about 11 mL/year in the areas with higher and intermediate STR, which was again equivalent to the effect of smoking. It was found that the level of SO2 and PM in the urban air correlated with the symptom prevalence in women; however, it had no clear impact on lung function deterioration.
This study compared susceptibility to respiratory morbidity in a cohort of 9-year-old children exposed congenitally and postnatally to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) to susceptibility in a cohort of unexposed children. The epidemiologic study included 1129 children: 594 boys and 535 girls attending the second grade of grammar schools in Kraków, Poland. We found strong evidence that children exposed to ETS in their homes were more susceptible to acute respiratory tract illnesses than unexposed children. A dose-response relationship between degree of exposure [for lower ETS exposure, odds ratio (OR) = 1.32; for higher ETS exposure, OR = 1.74] supports a causal explanation for the association observed. The significant trend of increased risk of respiratory infections due to ETS level in nonatopic children whose mothers did not smoke cigarettes during pregnancy suggests a direct effect of ETS exposure on the child's respiratory health. ETS combined with allergy nearly tripled the risk of acute respiratory tract illness (OR = 3.39; 95% CI, 1.93-5.93), and maternal smoking during pregnancy had a modifying effect on the risk of respiratory illnesses due to ETS after accounting for atopy. The stronger effect of ETS in atopic children and in those whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may be result of biologic interaction of endogenous and environmental factors. The results of this study are of relevance to public health policy, as children with higher risk of respiratory infections may be more susceptible to environmental hazards later in adolescence or in adulthood. Respiratory infections also increase demands for medical interventions in terms of outpatient services and hospital administrations. In addition, respiratory illnesses cause missed school days, and caring for a sick child may lead to absenteeism from work.
